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August 13, 2009

G114: Tigers 2, Red Sox 0

Verlander threw a gem (8-4-0-1-8, 123), still dealing in the upper 90s in the eighth inning.

Buchholz (7-5-2-3-3, 100) was good, but an unearned run in the fourth and a solo dong from Ryan Raburn in the seventh was plenty of runs for the Tigers. Raburn had both RBI.

Boston's best chance to score came in the first, when Josh Reddick doubled with one out and Victor Martinez singled him to third. Verlander then struck out Jason Bay and David Ortiz.

On Bay's whiff, Martinez stole second, the second theft of his career and first since 2003. He took off on the 3-2 pitch, stopped halfway to second, saw that Gerald Laird was not throwing down, and started up again and flopped into the base.

Martinez singled in the third and Jacoby Ellsbury doubled in the eighth. That was sum of the Red Sox offense.

The Rangers won this afternoon, so Boston's wild card lead is now only 0.5 GA.

Actually one of them is not old. There's a guy who looks to be 70+... The woman just left. She was in her 40s and no, that's not old. The guy is reading a book and might not have any idea the TV is on. But I'll just wait on it. Plus I can see if I can find a feed online perhaps.

In other news I had to drop my classes because I don't have enough financial aid to even go half-time,which is how long I'd need to go to receive any aid, and I have no money. So I'll wait a semester and find a job (I was going to do work study for find a PT job just for a little cash) and see what happens. I didn't like doing this but then again there was nothing about any of this I liked very much. Just doing the thing I don't like the least, I guess.

Felix, Halladay and Greinke all have better ERA and can compete in terms of wins (12, 12, 11). It's going to be a tough field. Wins are potentially Josh's only really distinguishing stat. His K's are good, but Felix and Greinke have more. Both Halladay and Greinke have way better K/BB ratios.

A couple people would have to have a few bad outings to give him a serious shot, I think.

I reluctantly had to admit that CC deserved it in 2007 over Josh. Josh was 20-7, CC was 19-7...and CC had a slight edge in ERA, and pitched 40 more innings, 4 more games started. I think that counts for a lot.

A couple people would have to have a few bad outings to give him a serious shot, I think.

Beckett's been so hot, lately, though. He seems to be getting stronger as the season goes on. The Jays seem to be giving up on the season, and I don't think that'll help Halladay. I think CC won it in Beckett's monster year. I guess he deserved it, but I really thought Beckett was going to win it.

I just watched the part where he refers to his son; I am pretty sure you can hear his voice breaking, and then when they cut to the visual of the booth, he looks like he's been close to tears, then kinda says , 'ahem..woo!...' and then he settled down.

I didn't see Remy (Weds war resister meetings) but from what Allan told me, I so agree with Ish.

He must have been very nervous - it's a very difficult thing to do, especially the public nature of it. Really great he is being open about being depressed. That's good for people with cancer and other diseases - including depression - everywhere.

I asked Allan, did they show him on the scoreboard? Did the crowd go nuts? Then later I saw a replay of that part.

Talking of people talking about their illnesses, does Eck ever mention alcoholism? I have a vague idea that he did when that dude from the Sopranos was in the box with them a couple weeks ago. Anyone remember that?

didn't see that game. when he and don talk about studio 54 or something (!), he mentions how he went out and hints at a serious party lifestyle, but that's it. but i could have easily missed something.

Eck will allude to things like "straightening himself out" or "that was when I was still a wild thing". Maybe I've even heard him say "before I cleaned up" or "got clean" - not sure. But nothing specific, as far as I know. Never actually saying alcoholic or alcoholism or AA.

It'll be great to have Jerry back, but definitely Don and Eck's chemistry has been really good. It seems like Eck brings a little more life out of Don, and even kinda challenges him to reveal a little more baseball knowledge. And this shit right now about how many medallions Eck wore back in the day - classic nonsense.

I feel like when Eck's in the booth it's a LOT more easygoing than when Jerry was there. Jerry brings a lot of insight but it always got so boring and rhythmic, whereas with Eck there's more unpredictability and fresh air. I find myself actually laughing out loud when I listen to them. I don't need them to be totally professional during the game - I can see what's going on.

Like I said about Verlander earlier, though. And I was conservative! Saying 100 on pitch 100. How about 100 on pitch 123? That's insane. He's certainly got the stuff to be the best pitcher in baseball. But as Eck said earlier in the game, when you throw 99-100, it's hard to paint.

Bronson:"I can see where guys like Hank Aaron and some of the old-timers have a beef with it," Arroyo said, according to the report. "But as far as looking at Manny Ramirez like he's [serial killer] Ted Bundy, you're out of your mind. At the end of the day, you think anybody really [cares] whether Manny Ramirez's kidneys fail and he dies at 50?

"You were happy if the Red Sox won 95 games. You'd go home, have a cookout with your family. No big deal," he said, according to the report.

Save it , Bronson, I am sorry if you think no cares about your well being, I am sure you keep yourself up at night worried about mine, we help pay your salary, isn't that enough?

9C, it doesn't surprise me AT ALL about Fenway's gun. When guys like Papelbon and Brad Penny are throwing 97-99 it seems a little bit off. Yet, Bard was still hitting 99-100 and Verlander, who does hit 99-100 was hitting it today.